Hello,

My child is 5 years old boy. He seems to be having some behavior problems. I am not sure if it is very serious or maybe I may be making a big deal out of nothing.

At school, his teacher states he does not behave well with other children. When we go to the park, he seems to be a bit wild with other children.

When at home, he bothers his younger brother and often fights with him. I guess that may be normal, but not sure.

I am trying to see if I can solve this problem before it becomes something very serious.

Any suggestions on what I should be doing at home to try to improve these behavior problems? I was thinking of going to a specialist but not sure what type of specialist.

Any advice is much appreciated!

Thanks!

As far as specialists go, some schools even have a behavior specialist on staff. Speech-language pathologists also address social skills. And from what you've written, I think it's more of a social training issue at this point. You don't have to worry that he's going to grow up to be an ax-murderer, but you do have to focus on helping him develop better interaction skills. As an SLP, I usually start with "social stories", which are short stories that illustrate and demonstrate ONE particular social skill (manners, asking for help, sharing, taking turns, expressing anger, etc.). We discuss the story and role-play so they get some practice trying out the new skills. I inform the teachers, aides, and parents so everyone is on the same page. Everyone needs to know how to cue the student to react properly. If a major infraction occurs, someone needs to calmly remind the student that his response was inappropriate and help him remember how to respond...and then HELP him follow through with that response. It's a process to be sure. Pick one target to start with. Remain calm in the situation. Explain that we don't ____ and instead we ____ and then walk him through it (tell him what to do and have him act it out). At this point, you're trying to change his natural impulse...so that can take time...but if you're consistent, you will see change. Good luck to you!